


Simply Christmas

by MizzGinger



Category: Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Christmas Prompt, F/M, Fluff, LOVE TRIANGLE AY!, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-06
Updated: 2018-07-06
Packaged: 2019-06-06 07:28:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15189827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MizzGinger/pseuds/MizzGinger
Summary: At the Kingdom Heart Academy for the Gifted, a Christmas event shakes up the entire boarding school into its submission. Unfortunately, you're also forced to play along. But along the way, you discover the true meaning of Christmas and love.... Also, screw you, Zack Fair! No one deserves this crap!Cloud x [Reader] x Roxas





	1. December 1st

**Author's Note:**

> Nothing you recognize belongs to me except plot c:
> 
> Some bgm to help with the mood of the chapter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEhJsRnzXGs

"STEP RIGHT UP AND CLAIM YOUR CHRISTMAS SPIRIT!"

The statement repeats a few more times until you realize that this is real: someone is handing out live spirits to whoever answers their call. You quickly awaken and sit upright; your eyes take a moment to grasp your surroundings, and when they do, you notice that you had knocked out on the couch last night.

You spot Zack Fair standing by the staircase where unwilling participants are forced to stick their hands in a dirty sock and take out a slip of paper. They read it and groan angrily, some even throw the paper in his face, but he continues on with a smile. After all, that sort of begrudging behavior is expected around here since the majority of people have been tossed into this boarding school against their will.

The minute your parents witnessed some strange powers shoot out of your hands, they handed you over to the Kingdom Hearts police. A few mountains of paperwork later and you were given to the Kingdom Hearts Academy for the Gifted with your parents receiving a hefty sum for their cooperation.

At first, the pain of abandonment struck deep, and you refused to speak to anyone. However, the more you integrated into the school, the more you realized how fortunate you were to have this makeshift family. After fifteen years of loneliness and one year at the academy, you finally felt something other than emptiness. You discovered friendships, joy, betrayal, empathy, annoyance, fear, and love.

"Come on, Cloud!" Zack exclaims. Your gaze zeroes in on the groggy blonde, and you watch attentively. "Just grab one!"

"I'm not sticking my hand down your sock," Cloud grunts out as he tries to push past Zack. A smile pulls at the corners of your lips. The boy always puts up a strong front, but brotherly love will prevail in 3...2...1...

"Please?"

"Fine," Cloud spits out as he quickly rummages through the sock and scans his paper. Once Zack sees him roll his eyes, he backs off and allows the blonde to leave.

You continue to observe as Cloud makes his way to the house's large dining area. Just as he passes by the living room, you both make eye contact. The world stills for but a moment and the same sorrow you have buried deep inside reflects in his blue optics. Although you have never spoken to him before, you somehow feel spiritually closer to him than anyone else in the house. Almost every day you two steal glances from each other, and it's the same emotion in both your gazes.

He nods his head to you just before disappearing into the dining hall. Your stomach growls at the thought of today's meal, and you begin to peel yourself off the couch.

"So it looks like you escaped the school's holiday event," Roxas hums as he stops in front of the couch. He holds five bagels in his arms with a few stuffed in his pocket. You send him a confused stare. "...I'm guessing you don't know what I'm talking about."

Your blank expression serves as his answer and he heaves out a sigh. Flopping onto the chair, he hands you a bagel to which you instantly place in your mouth. As you chew, you watch as he scratches the back of his head while finding a place to begin his explanation. A surge of gratitude fills your body, causing a smile to form on your lips.

Yes, you've been very fortunate to have Roxas serve as your partner at the boarding school. He was assigned to you since the first day you walked in and not once has he ever left your side.

"Well, the student body president decides on the Christmas event each year. Unfortunately for us, this year we have Zack as president, and he always thinks of the most annoying events," Roxas sighs and shakes his head. "He's been stationed at the only entrance to the dining hall so he can force everyone to play this stupid game."

You nod your head as you return your attention to Zack, who appears to have found his next victim, Vanitas. Said boy smacks the sock of goodies out of Zack's hands and rushes back up the stairs. A few seconds later, you see Vanitas through the window as he flings himself off the second story and into the bushes. Zack follows hot on his trail, waving his sock around like a madman.

"Basically we get these pieces of paper that give us a task for the month. They're embarrassing but the only way we can get points this month," Roxas finishes. Your heart drops when you hear the word 'points'. Basically, to be on the honor roll (something you're dead set on doing due to the insane amount of perks) you need to accumulate a certain number of points by the end of the school year. If you miss out on points one month, you're automatically disqualified to be on the honor roll...and you were NOT going to let that happen.

"Did you get one?" you croak out, your voice still hoarse from waking up.

Roxas sends you a morbid look. "Yeah... It's terrible." He shuffles through his pocket to hand you the small card which reads  _'give the person you cherish a hug'_. 

"Can't you just lie and say you did it?" 

Roxas places his hands on your shoulders and gazes deep into your eyes. You gulp, tensing under his touch. "You have to turn in your completed card to Squall, the Vice President."

Now you understand his unwillingness! Squall will definitely know if you're lying to him. Just at the thought of lying to him causes you both to sigh in unison. Suddenly a loud thump and a vase crashing echoes down the hallway. You both stand on full alert, but when you see Vanitas flying down the hallway, you realize that the chase has yet to finish.

"I heard that if Vanitas doesn't get any points this year, he's gonna get kicked from the school. Zack's trying hard not to let that happen," Roxas murmurs.

"If he wants to get kicked, just let him," you say with a shrug. It appears that karma heard your statement and in comes Zack with a sock at hand. He turns his head at just the right time, and eye contact with him is made.

"OH!" He screeches to a halt. "[Name], there you are!"

Your energy quickly drops to zero as you are forced to stick a hand in a sock and realize your true nightmare.


	2. December 24th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some bgm for the chapter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVXfOc8TY7Q

The school field trip to the village arrives on the eve of Christmas. The dormitories are a twenty-minute walk down a snowy path, and when you arrive, you stand in awe. The quaint town holds many stone structures, small in nature and all littered in a thick white sheet of snow. There are a few people shoveling snow off the stone path, while another group not too far off are caroling to strangers.

The feeling of Christmas finally ignites your spirit, and a look of marvel brightens your face. "Seems like the Christmas bug bit you," Roxas comments with a chuckle.

You nod your head eagerly and return your attention to your surroundings. The teachers allow the college students to disperse first while they round up the high school students. You guys shuffle into a small group as eagerness bites at your nerves. 

"A few of you have yet to complete your holiday challenge," a teacher drones on. "You have until tomorrow to complete it and then to turn it into Squall... So yeah, dismissed."

Suddenly, a hand snakes its way into yours, and before you have a chance to look at the perpetrator, you're tugged towards the shops. A tuft of dirty blonde hair enters your vision, and your smile grows. In seconds, your day evolves into something that you've always yearned for. 

_Shopping at the markets with friends._  "She bought antlers for the Christmas party. Haha, Axel, you need to see her with them... They even come with a red nose attached!" Roxas laughs as he points at you. Axel can't help but chuckle at Roxas' reaction, but when he sees you sporting said merchandise, he follows suit and tumbles to the floor laughing.

_Eating weird food with friends._  "Don't spit that out, [Name]... Ew!" Roxas grabs his plate of food and scurries off to another table. "No, Xion! Don't feed her more of that!... OH... NO EW! STOP DOING THAT, [NAME]!" 

_Enjoying the Christmas spirit with friends._  "I dare you to sing along with them, [Name]." Roxas sends you a cheeky smile, and you quietly accept his challenge. Back straight and head held high, you march forward to integrate yourself with the carolers. They give you a look, expecting the voice of an angel to emerge from you. But when you open your mouth and sing along, they all stop and gasp in horror.

You only realize how many hours have passed until the light begins to dim. The sun is setting on the town, and it's time to head back to the dorms. Just as you guys make your way to the meeting place for high schoolers, you spot a familiar pack of people. Roxas walks faster towards them, which grabs the attention of a certain brunette. 

"Sora, are you heading home tomorrow?" Roxas asks. You awkwardly stand behind him as Sora brings his attention away from Kairi and onto you two. He waves at you first with a bright grin and then eyes Roxas.

"Yeah. I thought I'd go see them with all those points I got," Sora responds as he rubs his nose. "Did you make enough this year?"

"I tried, but nothing seemed to go my way." Roxas shakes his head as he thinks back on his misfortunes. "Ventus is going too, right?"

"Last I heard, yeah."

"I guess I'll spend it in the dorms this year," Roxas says with a shrug.

You grab his arm with manic eyes. "You should at least ask if they can bend the rules."

"It doesn't matter much." The skin between his eyebrows creases, confusion painting his optics. "I'll try again next year. It's just my parents I'll be seeing."

You pause for a brief moment to allow his words to sink in. "Just your parents?" 

"Anyways, it's more fun here than over there," Roxas huffs out as he glances at Sora. "Bring back souvenirs."

"...Will do--" Sora doesn't have a chance to finish, not when you shove Roxas onto the snow. The blonde lets out a yelp, but you don't bother with him as you storm off. 

Roxas sits there in shock, his gaze locked on your retreating form. When he looks up at Sora with a bewildered look, the boy just shakes his head. "You're dumb, you know that? It's like you're rubbing it in her face that she doesn't have a home to go back to."

**[___]**

An hour has passed since you've run off. You're now seated at the edge of a cliff that overlooks the village. The view of the town is bright and cheerful, adjectives you would never describe yourself as. The differences between you and the majority of those people force you to give power to your self-deprecating thoughts. You pull yourself into a state of seclusion, unbothered by the fact that you'll be deducted points for disobeying the school's curfew.

You hear boots crunching on the downed branches and snow, and you whip your head over your shoulder to see Cloud approaching. Your heart jumps at his appearance, but you can tell by his expression that he's been searching for you for a while.

"Did Zack make you search for me?" You don't look at him, your gaze steady on your boots.

"You're the only one not accounted for." It's the answer you will receive from him, but you're relieved to hear the lack of annoyance in his voice.

"Sorry, I just..." You recall that moment with Roxas and let out a sigh. "I just don't think this is the right holiday for me."

"Why's that?" He doesn't sound totally intrigued, but it's his way of showing some sort of courtesy, and the pent-up feelings of today are unleashed by his question. 

"All Christmas does is remind you of the things you don't have!" you cry out. "It's a terrible holiday! It makes you feel...feel so empty!"

Cloud continues to gaze at the falling snow. Each flake collapses under the pressure of gravity and scatters about, coating the energetic town. You follow his stare and become mesmerized by the scene in front of you. Under the serenity of this quiet wonderland, your tears slowly begin to fall.

"It never goes away, does it? That loneliness?" you ask, your voice low as tears line your cheeks.

You feel a weight on your head, and you glance up to see him gently petting your head. He doesn't bother making eye contact as he speaks. "It doesn't, but keeping people close by helps with it."

Your attention never falters on him as he continues to give you warmth. A bubble of happiness rises from the pit of your stomach, causing your lips to tremble. But you refuse to let more of your tears fall and you bite your lip. 

So that he knows of your appreciation, you place one hand on top of his. He flinches at your touch but relaxes after his initial reaction. And just like that, you two stay together until it's time to go home.


	3. December 25th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayy bgm again: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivBYs7V1dWo

You trudge through the snow with Cloud behind you. You can feel his steady gaze on your back, and you can't help but feel protected under his supervision. When the dorms come into view, you spot a certain blonde at the entrance. He shivers under the winter's wrath, but he looks determined in his spot.

When he sees you two, he jumps and the snow that covers his head and shoulders slide off onto the ground. Guilt eats at your conscious upon seeing the amount of snow collected on him, and his relieved smile only makes things worse.

"There you are!" Roxas exasperates once he makes it to you.

Cloud merely passes you as he makes his way into the dormitory. "W-Wait!" He stops when he hears your voice, and thankfully he turns to face you. "I️ uh... Thank you for helping me back there."

Cloud watches as your face glows with embarrassment. His cold gaze melts into a gentle expression. "Yeah." With that, he leaves you there alongside a confused Roxas.

"Was he the one who found you?" Roxas asks quietly. You don't answer as you pat his head. "W-What?"

"You have a lot of snow in your hair. Makes you look like Riku," you mumble out as you continue. You do your best to take out the white particles, but with the snow's continuous fall, you find it impossible.

Roxas realizes your struggle and grabs hold of your wrist. "Let's go inside. There's just too much snow." He gently pulls you towards the dorms and into the living room which already has a few occupants. People are settling down from their trip and showing their friends the purchases they made at the markets.

No one notices both your arrivals, and Roxas pulls you towards the chimney where a fire is burning. He collapses onto the blanket in front of it and pats the spot next to him. Wordlessly you take it and begin to peel off your gloves and boots. When your shoulder rubs against his, you feel as if his body heat is warmer than the chimney's fire; it's a different type of heat though, one that makes you forget about the hole in your heart.

"I'm sorry," Roxas says after five minutes. You first glance around to see if anyone else is in the vicinity of you two. When you're satisfied enough with the lack of attention on you guys, you gain the confidence to break down in front of him.

"It's my fault. I shouldn't have run off like a child," you admit with a blush. He goes quiet, and you turn your head to see if you said something wrong. In an instant, both your faces are mere centimeters apart, and it's then you realize the reason for his silence. He was inspecting your blush. "W-What?"

Roxas' face drowns in red as he backs away. "Nothing. I... I was just making sure my eyes weren't playing tricks on me."

"Tricks on you?"

"I've never seen you blush," he admits shyly as he scratches the back of his head. His fingers proceed to brush out his hair strands which have lost all their volume due to the snow.

Your cheeks burn more at his statement, and your gaze wanders on anything but him. "I see." Again, there's a pause of silence as neither of you knows what to say.

"OKAY GUYS!" Zack comes into the living room with two large platters of mugs. Everyone rushes over to him to grab their cup, and the smell of hot cocoa wafts over to you two. You try to stand, but Roxas gently pulls you back down.

"I'll grab them." He heads over to Zack, who tries to stop him from taking two mugs. It isn't until Roxas points over to you that the raven-haired boy grins widely. He attempts to wave at you but proceeds to drop the rest of the mugs in his attempt. The loud crash garners the attention of everyone, who all come over to laugh and help him.

"He's an idiot as always," Roxas shakes his head as he hands you the mug. You press the ceramic against your lips and inhale the scent. "Be careful not to burn your tongue."

Again, you feel the guilt from earlier. The boy has never done anything to wrong you in all your time here. In fact, all he does is try his best to integrate you into this odd family. You've always noticed the scars in his heart, but he's never allowed them to get in the way of his friendship with you.

You watch as Roxas blows at his hot cocoa. Your gratitude for him compels you to move closer, your shoulders melding together as well as your hips. He notices your makeshift way of cuddling and looks down at you, tilting his head in confusion. "[Name]?"

Your faces are once again centimeters apart, but you close it quickly, planting your lips on his. His body lets out a twitch of shock but he quickly accepts it. A million butterflies flutter about in your chest as the gentle kiss medicates your heart.

When you finally pull back, you two face each other with reddened faces. However, Roxas appears to have recovered fast and his fingers intertwine with yours. "Roxas—"

"I️ promise I️ won't let you feel so alone, [Name]. So please," he whispers out, "don't leave me behind again."

Your eyes widen as tears sting and threaten to fall. "I won't, not ever."

Roxas smiles softly as he brings you into his embrace. In it, you feel protected and complete. There isn't a safer place in your eyes despite the fact that you come from different backgrounds; all of that doesn't matter in his arms, not when there's a seed of love awakening and bringing more life into your body.

"I promise I won't," you sigh out in his shirt.

The world goes quiet for a moment, but your trance breaks the moment you hear the coos of others. Although you really don't want to, you pull yourself away from Roxas to see that you've acquired an audience. Familiar faces gaze at the both of you, and you try to escape by placing your face back on Roxas' chest.

"Come on, guys!" Roxas groans as he tries to shoo them away.

"It's so cute though!" Yuffie exclaims from afar. "Cute, cute, cute!"

"You mean indecent! We need to call the teachers over and report you," Axel jokes with a wink.

Roxas growls lowly. "At least we got out Christmas task out of the way, unlike you guys!"

As you hear them all bicker, you smile to yourself. 'I guess I do need to turn in my task now to Squall...' You reach into your pocket and read the small paper one last time.

_'Kiss the person you cherish most.'_

**[______]**

Off in the distance, Cloud sits with a mug of eggnog in his hand. He hears the jingle of Christmas music playing as everyone surrounds the fireplace. The fire's warmth is partly the reason why he remains close by, but the main reason might be a certain [h/c], who sits in front of the chimney.

The crushed paper in his hand loosens a bit until it falls gently onto the wooden floors. A sigh tears from his throat, and he takes another sip of eggnog. One last look at the group of kids and he retires for the night. He leaves his challenge on the floor, knowing full well he lost...

_'Help the person you love.'_

...for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! c:


End file.
